


Save The Last Dance for Me

by zaan



Series: Unfamiliar Affections [2]
Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: Attraction, First Dance, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 12:34:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21197738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zaan/pseuds/zaan
Summary: He swept Garak into his arms."Really, doctor," Garak admonished - but he locked hands with Julian and followed him into the dance.





	Save The Last Dance for Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xLostLenore](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xLostLenore/gifts).

> Prompted by xLostLenore, who wanted to see Garak and Julian dancing.

"It's beautiful music, isn't it?"

"Oh, Garak! You startled me," Ziyal exclaimed. She blushed, feeling rather silly being caught like this – skulking outside the holodeck, hoping for glimpses into the Starfleet-Trill ball taking place within. It was a school-girl fascination she'd never outgrown. She'd never had anything like this lavishness, this beauty, growing up in the Breen camp: the elegant, trailing gowns; the abundant, fragrant delicacies; the lilting, seductive tunes of the Trill band; the vibrant couples twirling across the dance floor. To cover up her embarrassment, she asked, as the band took up a new tune, "Do you know this dance?"

"No," he began but, seeing the disappointment in her eyes, took pity on her. "At least, not to do it justice." He held out his hands. "Would you like to try?"

"Oh, yes!"

They began, Garak patiently leading her through the intricate steps, compensating for her awkwardness.

"Are all dances this complicated?" she asked.

Garak smiled. "No. This is one of the Umballa; a series of dances meant to symbolise different stages in a Trill's life. Hence the convoluted steps – and the length." He neglected to mention they were dancing the Courtship Umballa. He wanted to make her happy, but not to encourage her in her ill-advised infatuation. Thus, in addition to his silence on the dance's origins, he kept a stiffer and significantly more modest distance between them than was traditional.

They made it a few more minutes before Garak, sensing Ziyal's growing frustration, brought them to a halt. "I'm afraid I don't remember the rest," he lied.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance?"

Julian Bashir, resplendent in his Starfleet dress uniform, smiled warmly at them. He'd come out for a breather and to escape from the tedious small talk and touches of an amorous Trill representative and had come upon the charming scene before him. He held out his hands gallantly to Ziyal.

"Thank you," she stammered, backing up a step, "But I'm hopeless."

Acting on a sudden impulse, he grinned and said, "Well, you should at least get to see the dance," and swept Garak into his arms, eliciting the laugh from Ziyal he'd hoped for.

"Really, doctor," Garak admonished - but he locked hands with Julian and followed him into the dance.

To Julian's surprise, they came together flawlessly. There was none of the hesitation, the awkwardness, the missteps that marred most first dances. What began in jest became a thing in itself. There was suddenly nothing between them, around them, but the fluidity of their movements, the warmth of their clasped hands. They moved closer, bodies pressed together, a perfect embodiment of the Umballa. 

When the music ended, Ziyal clapped enthusiastically. "That was wonderful," she said.

Julian pulled away reluctantly, sure that he felt a similar reluctance in Garak. He glanced uncomfortably into heated blue eyes, feeling the wobbles as his world suddenly shifted.

Garak unclasped their hands first, putting distance and an amused smile between them. "Hadn't you better be getting back, doctor?"

Julian came to himself. "Yes, you're right." He bowed dramatically, acknowledged Ziyal's compliment, and returned thoughtfully to the ball. A new resolve was growing in him. 

This would not be the last time he held Elim Garak in his arms.


End file.
